Der Erlkonig
by Niu Shiy-Ue
Summary: They never found the body.


"We'll go through here."

Here happened to be a rather dismal pine forest, at the bottom of a steep valley. The towering peaks surrounding the valley cast the land into shadow, even though it was only a little past mid-afternoon. The glowering clouds in the sky just made the scene even worse. Hashirama abandoned his usual stoicism to cast an incredulous glance at his brother, backed by his brother's mini-genin. "Here?"

"Yes, here." Tobirama gave an insolent shrug at the disbelieving glances. "Oh, come on! No sandstorms, no avalanches, there are even lots of trees. You guys should feel right at home!"

"Can someone remind me," said Koharu. "Why we're passing through the definitely-haunted forest instead of following the nice, safe river home?"

"Because we sent the Kage Bunshin down the nice, safe, no-cover-what-so-ever river as a distraction. And besides, you know how superstitious Taki nin get. Even if they see underneath the underneath, they wouldn't dare follow us through this pass."

"Now if only you'd stop using that trite line, Tobirama." True, it had looked like a good plan and that was why Hashirama had agreed to it in the first place. But that had been before he had actually seen the valley that his brother wanted them to travel through. The elder wasn't from Taki, but even he felt just a little creeped out looking at the shadowy forest. "I'll take point."

"Thanks, aniki!"

Sending out threads of chakra to help navigate, Hashirama thought that his brother couldn't have been more wrong. The forest certainly did _not_ feel like home. Konoha was warm and welcoming, powerful and familiar. He knew Konoha better than he knew his own body, as well as he might that of a lover. This forest was cold and hostile, releasing its secrets reluctantly to his coaxing, resisting his will with an awareness he had never felt before. He didn't say anything, but he silently agreed with sensible Koharu. If any forest was ever haunted, then this would be the one.

"Oh, damn!"

"Language, Homura!" The Shodai Hokage didn't have many pet peeves, but cursing was definitely one of them.

"Sorry, sir. But a fog's coming up." Tobirama whacked his student on the shoulder. "You should be happy; that'll make it harder for enemies to spot us."

"Yeah, yeah." The young boy whined and rubbed his shoulder. In undertone, "Now it looks like ghosts are rising from their graves."

'Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts' Hashirama thought to himself. 'Think of flowers in bloom in Konoha, think of Mito in her wedding dress, think of playing shogi with Madara.' Oddly, despite being almost twenty years dead, the last one was brought a smile to Hashirama's face. He could almost hear his old friend talking to him.

"Don't tell me the courageous leader of the illustrious Senju clan is scared of a little mist?"

'Of course not!'

"Thinking about home? Nothing like your little garden, this place is."

'I don't think of Konoha as _my_ garden.'

"Oh? I'm not surprised you want to go back."

'Not without . . . ' Even silently, the words choked him.

"Let's play a game."

'A game?'

"Twenty questions. I'll start: which do you miss more, the flowers in Spring or the warmth of your own bed?"

'The flowers are nice, but-'

"Hashirama!"

"What is it, Tobirama?"

The pale man sped up to walk beside the elder. "I think this would be a good place to camp for the night." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to point at the genin. In a lower voice, "I think Hiruzen is just about to drop."

Indeed, when the Shodai Hokage glanced over at the children, little Hiruzen looked exhausted. The little Sarutobi was the shortest member of his brother's genin team, and still had some difficulty keeping up with his taller team mates. Hashirama couldn't remember ever being so small. He was disappointed with himself for not noticing before.

"Alright, we'll stop here."

"Aw, here?" Homura again. "But I swear I can hear voices-"

"That's just the wind sighing through the branches." Tobirama, practical as ever, overrode his student. "Besides, if anything had been out there, Shodai-sama would have noticed them already."

"Not if it was a ghost . . . " The younger mumbled, but obediently set out to find some firewood.

Hashirama felt a rush of chakra go through him. "Tobirama," he called. "The Kage Bunshin have just dispersed."

"How far away are our tails?"

"At least two days, maybe more depending on how fast they find our track. They have to go back up the river first."

"Hah! In two days we'll be in sight of Konoha. No need to worry."

That evening, Hashirama offered to take the first watch. The two brothers had agreed to let the genin sleep and recuperate. Before he was half-way through, he was wishing they hadn't. The woods grew even darker at night, and they hadn't kept the fire burning in fear of pursuers. Having someone to talk to, even nervous Homura, would have done a lot to ward off the chills making their way down Hashirama's spine. As it was, it was taking quite a bit to keep from screaming at the unnatural quiet that surrounded the campsite.

Without realizing it, his mind had begun to drift away from his ominous surroundings. With nothing but silence, he sought words from the wind sighing through the stark branches. "You never answered my question."

'The flowers are nice, but home is nothing without . . . '

"What more could you want? A loving wife, a talented child, a proud clan, more than I ever got."

'Do you want them?'

A pause in the conversation. "No, I don't. And it's my turn again."

'Ask your question.'

"Ha. I never imagined you as a teacher. Who are those brats with you?"

'There something Tobirama thought up. Genin teams, to pass knowledge down.'

"Ah, so they are your brothers' minions. Makes sense. What are their names?"

'Mitokado Homura, the girl is Utatane Koharu and the smallest boy is Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sasuke's son.' A soft rustle behind him, like a cloak barely brushing against a leaf.

"A talented boy. Sasuke must be proud of him." That statement took Hashirama by surprise. He knew Hiruzen had potential, but the boy was just so flighty, he couldn't seem to settle down to one specialty. "What are you doing here?"

The Senju began to feel the vague tendrils of panic. What was he doing? Madara was _dead_ yet this felt so real, as if he was really there for Hashirama to talk with. Something was wrong with this. 'We're going home to Konoha. We just aided Iwa in suppressing some of their dissident clans.'

"The same way we did, when establishing Konoha. Join us or die." Was that the breeze, or was someone actually chuckling, _someone_ actually laughing just behind him?

'It was better than the endless warfare from before.' Hashirama spun around, hands raised to release the genjutsu-

"Whoa, what's up with you, aniki?" Tobirama stood behind him, ducking as if expecting to be attacked.

The elder dropped the hand seals and was grateful to the dark for hiding the blush he felt burning on his face. "Nothing."

One pale brow quirked in disbelief. "Nothing? Nothing doesn't get you so rattled that you almost take off my head for tapping you on the shoulder. Nothing doesn't absorb your attention so much that you don't even hear me calling you several times-which was why I was shaking you in the first place." The younger man looked around. "Is there someone out there?"

Hashirama felt like a fool. "Now you're just exaggerating. And no, there isn't anyone. It's just these woods. They feel . . . unnatural. Hostile. Aware, but not with a human consciousness."

"Oookaaay. If you say so. I don't feel anything, but I'm not capable of Mokuton, am I?" Was it just his paranoia that put that edge of bitterness in Tobirama's tone?

"There really isn't anything out there, otouto. If anything, these woods are _too_ quiet. You can check for yourself if you don't believe me."

"You suspect genjutsu?" Tobirama brought his hands up in release, but nothing changed. A second later, and Hashirama felt his brother's chakra expand then contract, a quick active scan. "I guess you're right, there's nothing out there." The younger man raised his head to look his older brother in the eye. "Anyway, I just came by to tell you that I'm ready to take the next shift."

The black-haired man nodded. "Fine. I'm not really tired yet, so I'll scout around for a bit. That will probably ease my mind."

As soon as the glow from the fire (Tobirama had built it up again for his shift) was no longer visible, Hashirama raised his hands and attempted another 'Kai'. Nothing changed, but that didn't reassure him. If what he was experiencing wasn't a genjutsu, then what was it? Was he just going mad?

"You didn't really think that would get rid of me, did you?"

Hashirama swallowed then looked. Was there really someone standing there? Or was it just a willow tree, made grey and hazy by the fog, standing there in the moonlight?

"You never," He stopped and cleared his throat, wondering if he was going mad, or signing his own death warrant. "You never did seem entirely real to me."

"I'm not one of your bad dreams." They stared at each other for a second. Well, at least Hashirama stared at something; despite the apparition's words, he was still half-sure that he was asleep. "Tell me, do you prefer the light or the dark?"

"The light, of course. Doesn't everyone?"

"Why?"

"B-because the dark is full of the unknown and the light wards it away."

"But in the light, you cannot see your enemies, but everything can see you."

"Madara," Hashirama's voice was soft, as if he was afraid of scaring away the figure he was sure he could see in the mist. "You've asked me so many questions . . . when will it be my turn to ask?"

The shadow didn't answer. The Hokage swallowed the knot in his throat, took a step towards the unknown and extended his hand. Would there be a heart beating underneath it or would there only be silence?


End file.
